1. OPEN ACCESS POLICY Larshan Naicker Rhodes University Library
Head: User & Research Support

2. What is Open Access?
Open Access addresses the limited access to scholarly outputs, usually caused by high journal subscription rates. It is the practice of providing online access to scientific information (articles, monographs, research data and other research outputs) that is free of charge to the reader, and licensed so that they can be further used and exploited by researchers, the industry, and citizens.
Milestone definitions of Open Access include those of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) and the Berlin Declaration on Open Access

3. Why Open Access?

4. Purpose of an OA Policy
To facilitate Open Access practices and raise visibility of institutional research at Rhodes University.

5. Rhodes in context
As a research-intensive university, Rhodes University (RU) became a signatory to the Berlin Declaration on 24 October As a signatory to this Declaration, Rhodes University is committed to adopting Open Access (OA) as a paradigm which enhances the institution’s research strategy “to encourage research at the highest level of excellence and to ensure that our research programmes are internationally recognised for their excellence” (Research Office, 2016).

6. NRF Statement
The NRF announced that from 01 March 2015, all publicly funded authors “deposit their final peer-reviewed manuscripts that have been accepted by the journals, to the administering Institution Repository with an embargo period of no more than 12 months.” (NRF, 2015). The statement advocated institutions to:
“Formulate detailed policies on Open Access of publications and data from its funded research;
Establish Open Access repositories; and
Support public access to the repositories through web search and retrieval according to international standards and best practice” (NRF, 2015).

7. HOW TO PROVIDE OPEN ACCESS
Self-archiving (the Green route): Authors publish their research in their preferred venue and upon acceptance archive an electronic copy of their peer-reviewed publication and related research data in an institutional or subject repository through which it is freely available to everyone.
A repository allows the institution to manage, preserve and showcase its scientific output. The repository is a valuable tool in an institution’s research information system and evaluation process, and one that offers added value services for the scientific community.
Open Access publishing (the Gold route): Authors publish their scholarship in Open Access journals or monograph series. These publications are freely available to the end users on the Internet. Copyright is usually retained by the authors. Open Access publications follow the same processes as toll access publications (i.e. peer review), but provide Open Access to the content of the publications. There is no correlation between the quality of a publication and access to it.

8. Benefits of an OA Policy
The formal adoption of Open Access through an institutional policy allows institutions to become part of the evolving research and academic ecosystem where access to research is immediate and open to the benefit of funders, researchers and citizens. An institution and its researchers may expect multiple benefits from the implementation of an efficient Open Access policy

9. Benefits for the institution
Collects and preserves its scientific output and disseminates it through the institutional repository
Provides the possibility of indexing and tracking the scientific output of the institution from international search engines on the Internet, like Google etc.
Monitors the number of visits and use and collects data and indicators that can be used in institutional planning, and the search for sources of funding etc.
Provides opportunities for the use and re-use of the institution’s output for scientific purposes (CVs, publications, excellence reports, indicators, institutional websites, personal websites etc.)
Strengthens international communication and collaboration channels and the institution’s international profile
To participate, support and advance the OA movement to make African research more accessible and visible

10. Benefits to Researchers
Increase the visibility of their research and their citations
Increase the usage of their research
Increase the impact of their research
Obtain a permanent link for each of their research outputs

11. Who are the stakeholders
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research & Development – Policy Owner
Director: Library Services – Institutional Repository (curator and driver)
Supporting Offices:
Director: Research
Director IT&S: Information and Technology Services
Director: Human Resources Division
Director: Post-Graduate Centre
Manager: SEALS Library Systems (Consortia partners)
Manager: Contracts & Intellectual Property: Research Office

12. RHODES UNIVERSITY adopts an Open Access Policy based on the following principles:
Rhodes University’ Open Access policy aims at providing free online access to the outputs of its publicly funded supported research in accordance with the university’s Research Office publication guidelines
Open Access to scientific results is based on the recognition of knowledge as a public good and the social and economic benefits derived.
The efficient and wide dissemination of scientific outputs constitutes a significant part of the Rhodes University’ role as a public research organization.

13. Continued…
The increase in the visibility of the scientific outputs resulting from Open Access leads to an increase of the impact of publications.
Deposit in the institutional repository, the Rhodes Digital Commons, ensures curation, long-term preservation and further dissemination of the scientific output of Rhodes University and access to them for the conduct of internal and external evaluation. RU research publications include post-graduate theses and dissertations, peer- reviewed articles, book chapters, and conference papers and posters, and technical reports.

14. Support and Monitoring of the Open Access Policy
Enables the adoption of Open Access through the organization of seminars, events, awareness-raising actions, and education and training on Open Access issues in collaboration with the Research Office
Monitors policy compliance by comparing the content of the repository with information gathered from indexing services and through data on the use (access and downloads) per publication/ department/unit/ institute etc.
Provides the necessary human resources and the required infrastructure for the support of the Open Access policy.
Provides links and interoperability with other databases like Google Scholar.

15. References
RUL’s LibGuide on Open Access at
SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) at
Pasteur4oa.eu. (2016). Open Access Policy Guidelines for Research Performing Organizations (also available in French, Portuguese, Slovak and Turkish) | PASTEUR4OA. [online] Available at:

16. Thank you!